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Ironforge
Ironforge '''(currently referred to as '''Triforge '''or '''Kha'Zad) is a kingdom exclusive to the Aeon of the Champion ''story series. Its area spans the eastern continent of Kha'Zad, and it serves as the home of dwarves across Middle-Earth. The largest settlement is '''Khaz City', where the headquarters of the Council of the Triforge is located. History Beginnings When the dwarves first appeared on planet Middle-Earth, they took to the rough, mountainous region of Kha'Zad, which sandwiched between the two continents of northern Laudrin and southern Dinith. Naturally this led to a number of encounters with humans, most of which were friendly. That being said until recent times, humans had little impact on dwarven history and the two races tended to their own affairs. In -2,502, the Kingdom of Ironforge was officially established, with the Highfury family ruling over the state's clans with a firm but fair hand. The hereditary, patrilineal monarchy dominated affairs for nearly 2,000 years, though there was a small religious sect of dwarves who dedicated themselves to spiritual affairs. They never had a strong influence, and the faith eventually declined in favour of more practical concerns, but even if its impact was small it could only bolster, not harm, the fledging societies that developed within the kingdom. Strange bedfellows In -1,559, the remains of planet Mobius crash-landed into the Eastern Kingdoms, where Princess Azurette led her ceruleans. The impact of the crash had created a rather large mound in the south of the continent, and many dwarves, being a mountainous people, believed that it was a sign from the makers themselves. Rallying around the mound, they were entranced when a discombobulated Azurette, clutching her disrepaired tiara, and the rest of the ceruleans emerged from the wreckage. Even more confusing was when the dwarves began to worship the ceruleans as gods, and it took some degree of explaining before the dwarves accepted that they were mortal. That said, relations between the two races remained highly cordial, and the bond forged between Azurette and King Highfury would only be strengthened over time. The bond remained unshaken even after successive Highfury princes took the throne, with Azurette watching in awe at how the kingdom continue to prosper even as one son took up after the other. Tension and Civil War (-770 until -764) This did not last, unfortunately. By the -900s, the scene was looking rather bleak, as dwarven society grew exponentially large within the confines of their mountain cities. Three major clans - Ironwill, Brighthammer and Strongbow - dominated the political scene, and the newly-crowned Mirnum Highfury struggled to control them. This led to some dwarves re-locating to a secretive location under the earth - the Underdark - which, while giving them the peace they desired, permanently changed them - and not necessarily for the better. Under the influence of an ancient evil, they became known as the druregar or "dark dwarves", setting up the cold kingdom of Shadowforge under the earth. This act indirectly empowered the three big boys of dwarven society, to the point where a civil war was just waiting to happen. The paternal figure of King Highfury prevented any altercations for the time being...but his death in -770 proved to be the trigger for chaos. The War of the Three Hammers broke out in the weeks following his passing - not even enough time for his funeral pyre to be lit. His wife, Giglen, tearfully requested that the dwarves respect the family's right to greive during the difficult period...tears which were not seen, and cries that were not heard. The clans dueled, with their leaders - Dalokrith Ironwill, Eridmas Brighthammer, and Houndel Strongbow - vying for the chance to be king. The Ironwill clan, managed to defeat the other two after six years of brutal fighting. By -767, the Brighthammers had capitulated, and allied with the Ironwills in what was known as the Double Alliance. This alliance lasted until -764, when the combined force managed to drive the Strongbows out of Ironforge and back up the wilderness. Consequently, the Ironwills banished the Brighthammers from the city, and each clan established its own settlement outside of Ironforge - the Brighthammers established Bryhst Gulch further south, living alongside Azurette and her ceruleans. The Strongbows settled around Kirpid Chasm, ignorant of the fact that it was a Druregar stronghold. Houndel felt upset at losing Ironforge, but he did not heed his people's burning desire for revenge, insisting that the murky, toxic chasm was their lot for the timebeing. This proved to be as mistake, as Houndel was later outsted as leader in an abortive coup attempt, to be replaced with the aggressive Ranmed Strongbow. Prideful and militaristic, he intended on seizing control of Kha'Zad for himself. Second Civil War (-754 until -742) Leading an expeditionary forge to the forbidden Underdark, Ranmed entered Shadowforge to meet with the leader of the dark dwarves, Sorcerer-Thane Amalgamath. Amalgamath was a secretive, shady individual, whose clan had long studied the art of dark sorcery. He cared little for helping the Strongbows, but could not ignore the prosperity that lay ahead should the druregar escape from the suffocating depths of the malevolent Underdark. Thus, they pooled their resources and prepared for a second invasion. After 10 years of diabolical scheming, Amalgamath and Ranmed were finally ready to take the fight to Ironforge, with his shadow dwarves armed to the teeth with the latest weaponry. Part of the army's fear factor was owed to his wife, Opaltine, who ruled Shadowforge alongside him. She too was a potent sorcerer, but used her powers in tandem with technological innovations to create terrifying techmaturgical devices capable of destroying empires. Her trademark weapon was the War Golem, a giant, husking creature of shadowstone that only grew in the Underdark, and powered by rare-earth chem-crystals created by arcanum fusion. Imposing and almost impossible to take down, the Sorceress-Thane was convinced of their impregnability. Together with her husband, they marched on Ironforge, alongside Ranmed's forces, to start another war, by the summer of -754. While Amalgamath, Opaltine and the traitorous Ranmed lay siege to the beleaguered kingdom, the ousted Houndel alerted the Ironwills and Brighthammers to the desperate situation. The Ironwills intended to resist the developments, but would take a while to prepare their forces. Thus, the Brighthammers chipped in, vowing to bridge the gap until Dalokrith's forces could see off the dark dwarves and Strongbow insurgents. Eridmas, informing the ceruleans of the situation, were able to solicit their aid. Azurette sent her general, Lazulio, along with a group of powerful cerulean magi, to join the resistance. The Double Alliance once again formed, to combat this new, combined threat. In -746, the massive enemy force split. Amalgamath and Ranmed Strongbow marched on Ironforge City, while Opaltine and the titanic War Golems made their attack against Bryhst Gulch to slay one half of the Double Alliance, surmising that if she could knock them out, then her husband and the Strongbow leader would succeed with ease. Her surmisation was seemingly proven, as the golems smatched through the Gulch and routed the wavering Brighthammers. Eridmas sat atop Gulch Hill with his head in his hands, wondering whether Lazulio would come to his aid or not - his mages were the only hope against the golems, however much he hated magic. Sending a messenger to Azurette's camp, he begged them to hurry, for the city's walls were collapsing around him. Meanwhile, Ironforge was being swarmed horribly. The defenders, led by the ever-charged Dalokrith, refused to buckle - but they only just managed to hold off the invaders. Lazulio and his mages were just as needed on that front as well, to keep the dark dwarves from breaching the city limits - but Eridmas' indecision was to cost them. Just as the ceruleans reached the Gulch, they saw how desperate the situation was. It had fallen, and the Brighthammer dwarves were all over the Hill trying to escape from the golems. Asking why he hadn't sent for help before, Eridmas tearfully confessed that he had always distrusted arcane magic, and his misgivings had doomed his people. Lazulio wished him the 'safest of journeys' to paradise, and, on Eridmas' orders, teleported his people out of the Gulch. The last stand fell, and Eridmas died on the hill with his people that day. Opaltine's victory sent the dark dwarves and their golems charging into Ironforge, where they routed the scattered Ironwills and took over the city. Hoisting their flag from city centre, a victorious Amalgamath proclaimed himself victorious, and announced himself as the new Emperor of Ironforge with Opaltine as his Empress. He also offered the position of Highlord to Ranmed, which he overtly accepted, but secretly loathed. The Sorcerer-Thane and his cunning wife had tricked him into sidelining himself, and he plotted in the shadows for the chance to make himself the true ruler. Meanwhile, the shattered Ironwills fled with Lazulio's forces to the south of the country, to reunite with Azurette and her standing army. By -745, Kha'Zad no longer belonged to them. The second phase of the civil war took place in -744, when, after a year of forced co-inhabitation, tensions between the dark dwarves and the Strongbow dwarves worsened. The Strongbow clan, feeling resentful of their seemingly sidelined status, pressed Ranmed to make good on his pledges to take over Ironforge. Thus, he conceived a deceitful plan to take over Ironforge. He sent envoys of the Strongbow clan in disguise to the camp of the site of the old Strongbow clan stronghold in Kirpid Chasm, where he knew there would be less dark dwarves. The envoys, using this knowledge, led themselves to the camp of the Double Alliance and the ceruleans, where they announced that Ranmed wanted to form a Triple Alliance to force the dark dwarves out of the city. In reality, it was a ruse to get rid of his new master. Agreeing to this venture, the Triple Alliance marched north to face the druregar. In -743, things took a serious turn. Sorcerer-Thane Amalgamath was holding Ironforge, while his wife Opaltine held Bryhst Gulch and Ranmed seemingly held Kirpid Chasm. Azurette planned out the war strategy, concluding that if Lazulio and Ranmed co-operated, Cerulean anti-magic and Strongbow steel would be enough to defeat the mighty war golems and sink Sorceress Opaltine. They would then join the main force to topple Amalgamath from Ironforge City. Indeed, the battle of Bryhst Gulch wore on, and Ranmed's treachery became apparent. The Strongbow dwarves bravely held the line while Lazulio's anti-mages disabled the chem-crystals that powered the golems, causing them to back up and destruct. Furious, Opaltine sent her personal escort to curb the spellcasting, but was cut off from the rest of her forces when the Elite Vanguard intercepted the attack. Defeated, Opaltine had no option but to retreat towards Ironforge to prevent her husband from similarly being betrayed. By -742, the Triple Alliance had reached Ironforge and decisively overwhelmed the druregar. Cerulean anti-magic nullified the impact of Amalgamath's personal spellcasting, the Double Alliance pounded Ironforge from outside and the Strongbows from inside. After the death of the last war golem, Amalgamath ordered his people back underground, where they would live in obscurity forever. However, after disbanding the rest of his forces, Opaltine refused to relinquish Ironforge and furiously tried to weave a spell to keep the Underdark from swallowing them completely. The effect of her spell was to summon Terraia, the Stonemother, to the surface of Middle-Earth, when she promptly swallowed the druregar and their hatefulness permanently. After disposing of the threat, Ranmed turned to claim Ironforge as his own - only to be rebuffed by Azurette, who denounced him as a traitor. Emerging from behind her were the Strongbow Clan Vanguard, along with the familiar figure of Houndel decked out in Strongbow chief regalia. Azurette continued her rebuke of Ranmed, claiming that now, he had a duty to swear fealty to the true chieftain. Enraged by her remarks, Ranmed remonstrated by ordering his men to kill "the fake chief". They agreed, and without another word, executed Ranmed. Storm Over Following the catastrophic 28-year-war, the dwarves set about rebuilding Kha'Zad. The new Brighthammer chief, Khogmas Brighthammer, rejected an offer from Dalokrith Ironwill to share Ironforge, instead leading his people into the human continent of Laudrin where they established Aerie Peak, an open-air city on the verdant plains east of the continent. The Ceruleans remained in the south of the continent, founding the nation of Mobius. Azurette, while pleased to see how her people were propsering, did not join them; the princess followed the Brighthammer dwarves to Laudrin to 'find her calling', leaving Lazulio as Regent Lord of Mobius. Trivia *The name of this kingdom is derived from that of a Dwarven kingdom of the same name in Warcraft. **In both cases, three major clans fell into a civil war. Category:Aeon of the Champion articles Category:Aeon of the Champion locations Category:Kingdoms Category:Locations